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Home Loans

What Happens When You Default On Home Equity Loans?

If you default on home equity loans, the consequences can be severe.

Maintain your financial health and homeownership with the help of this blog. We discuss the consequences and reveal 6 tips to avoid defaulting on your loan.

2 main consequences of Defaulting on Home Equity Loans

1. Collection Agency Involvement: When borrowers default on their home loans, lenders often sell the debt to a debt collection agency.

These agencies will attempt to recover the outstanding balance through persistent calls, demand letters, and possibly sending collectors to your home. This process can be stressful and damaging to your credit score.

2. Foreclosure: In more severe cases, the lender may initiate foreclosure proceedings to recover the money lent. Foreclosure means the lender can sell your home to recoup their losses. The primary mortgage lender takes priority over the home lender during a foreclosure sale.

If the primary lender holds the certificate of title, they are entitled to the proceeds first. However, depending on the completion status and holder of the certificate of title, refinancing complications can affect which lender gets paid first.

Bad credit

6 Tips to Avoid Defaulting on Your Home Equity Loan

1. Communicate with Your Lender:

Avoiding your lender’s calls or ignoring their letters will not improve your situation. However, being transparent about your financial difficulties can encourage them to assist you.

If you’re struggling with payments, contact your lender immediately. Explain your financial situation and express your willingness to find a solution. They understand that working with you increases the likelihood of recovering their money

They may offer to modify the loan terms, adjust interest rates, or restructure your repayment plan. This can help to make the loan more affordable so you can avoid defaulting on your home equity loan.

2. Explore Foreclosure Alternatives:

If you’re struggling with payments, you could explore alternative options to provide temporary relief and prevent foreclosure.

It is worth noting that you should only do this if you lack funds due to a short-term cash flow issue. If you can’t afford repayments full stop because your circumstances have changed or you have racked up an uncontrollable amount of debt, then taking out another loan will only add to this financial burden.

Alternative forms of finance that might be suitable to prevent foreclosure include:

3. Consider Debt Consolidation:

If multiple debts overwhelm you, consolidating them into one low-rate loan with manageable monthly payments can help you regain control of your finances.

4. Refinance Your Mortgage:

Refinancing can lower your monthly payments and interest rate, making staying current on your loan easier. However, carefully consider the terms, as extending the loan term can increase the total cost over time.

5. Consult a Financial Advisor:

A financial advisor can provide valuable guidance on managing your finances and exploring potential solutions. They can help you create a feasible financial plan to navigate through tough times.

6. Resell and Downsize:

While drastic, selling your home and downsizing can be a practical solution. Use the proceeds to pay your mortgage and secure a smaller, more affordable living arrangement. This option can alleviate financial pressure and prevent foreclosure.

Don’t Default On Your Home Equity Loan

Contact Australian Lending Centre today to learn more about your options and find a suitable financial solution available to you.

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Mortgage Financial Fitness Financial Planning Home Loans

Will My Car Loan Affect My Mortgage Application?

A car loan can help you a lot if you plan to get your next car faster. However, a car loan can affect your mortgage application or other types of significant loans. If you are planning to buy an expensive car, this means that you will require a large loan. That car loan can impair your future borrowing power. But this doesn’t mean that you need to choose just one of these two.

Let’s see how a car loan can influence mortgage applications and how we can deal with such a situation.

First Things First

When you apply for a home loan, you will need to provide information regarding your financial status. This means that you will have to give documents regarding your monthly income, assets you own and other ongoing payments. This is how a lender will determine whether you can pay back the loan or not. Every lender wants to avoid doing business with people who might not be able to keep their word because of their financial problems. They want profit, not excuses.

If it were a personal loan, your mortgage application would be fine. But since we are talking about an expensive car loan, your mortgage application might get rejected due to your other massive loan. Either that or come with a lot of restrictions.

mortgage-application

Will My Car Loan Affect My Mortgage Application?

A car loan will have a high impact on your finances. Given all the taxes you need to pay, a car loan can take most of your monthly income. Still, aiming for a cheaper car might be of some help. Since cars tend to lose their value quite quickly, getting a very expensive one may not be a good idea, especially if you intend to apply for a mortgage.

Mortgage applications will act the same so that you will be left with little to no money. This is why a lender will probably have to refuse your mortgage application.

A lender wants to know that you will pay your mortgage and you won’t default on it. He will analyse your assets and other methods of income. If he sees that you have the financial power to afford a car loan and a mortgage at the same time, he might give you the green light. If not, it might be better for you if you only had one.

Defaulting on a mortgage is not a good sign for your lender and your finances. Car loans and home loans can quickly turn into uncontrollable debts, and you might end up losing everything. So don’t think of the lender as the bad guy, but be objective and calculate what you can and can’t afford, because in the end, if you are dishonest, you will suffer the most. Because banks and lenders make sure they never lose.

eligible-for-loan

Can I Still Be Eligible for a Mortgage Application?

Yes, you can. Your car loan will affect how much you can borrow, but if you don’t want an expensive house, that a limited amount of money can be just enough. If you can’t get the sum you need, you can search for an affordable home. When it comes to loans and money, flexibility is a must.

If you want to increase your chances of getting your mortgage application approved, then it’s time to clean a little bit of your credit file. Pay your debts and try to repair your bad credit. Also, consider debt consolidation as a possibility. Lenders will check your credit to find out who they are dealing with and also what other assets you own, just in case they might have to make up for that loan with something else rather than your money.

Having a savings account is a great idea. It makes you more trustworthy and responsible in the eyes of your lender. Let’s not forget that having some savings might help you quite a lot to reduce the amount you would apply for.

Also, try to talk to your lender. The more information he gets regarding your situation and income, the bigger the chance of getting your request approved. Don’t forget to tell him your exact plans.

suitable-car-loan

Final Thoughts

So, the short answer is that a car loan can influence mortgage applications and under certain circumstances, it can get your requests denied. But do not let yourself discouraged. Evaluate your possibilities, cut down on the unnecessary expenses and, if you can, try to pay ongoing debts before applying for a mortgage.

You can talk about these details with Australian Lending Centre. Our friendly consultants will tell you about your chances of receiving a loan and, if you fit our criteria, you may even get a good mortgage option. Advice never harmed anyone so you should not miss the chance of clarifying your options face to face with an expert.

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Mortgage

The Reality of Mortgage Repayments

In spite of the loan solution you carefully select, you should comprehend the way in which a loan works, and what it implies. Understanding the reality of mortgage repayments is the first step to making the right decision to fit your financial status.

Understanding Interest

Recently, Australians have benefited from low and attractive interest rates. So, how does this influence your mortgage repayments? Mortgage providers grow or diminish their rates, to mirror the movement exercised by the set cash interest rate. At the moment, interest rates are estimated at around 4.5 per cent, depending on the lender.

Although selecting fixed mortgage repayments over variable ones might seem the right choice, as it protects you from fluctuations, some other aspects should be considered. If you’re locked into a variable home loan, when the cash rate lowers, your interest will also decrease. Even though this is an unmatched advantage, Aussies should know that low rates don’t plan on staying this way forever.

To grasp the way in which this phenomenon influences your mortgage repayments, hear us out. A standard variable rate for a 25-year old loan of $200,000 would have a $1112 monthly payment, with 4.5 per cent interest rate. If this would change with as little as one per cent, it will either rise to $1228 or diminish to $1001.

Also, bear in mind that, over the life span of a loan, fluctuations may reach $100 per month. What we’re trying to say is that you should embrace a repayment plan with the right contingency measures, in the case in which the interest rate spikes.

When the Loan Matures

You should also note that the market conditions are due to change. That is inevitable. In this respect, you should take advantage of whichever opportunity you have to refresh your financial approach. An option might be to discuss with your financial advisor. But, before doing that, there are some solutions for adjusting your mortgage repayments:

  • Refinancing: When the interest rates are low, you can always consider refinancing. That may be a more convenient option. Even though there are exit and entry costs that should be factored in, as a general rule, you’ll recoup those expenses over the life of the loan.
  • Pay ahead: If the interest rates are low and your budget enables you, you should consider getting ahead on your mortgage repayments. If you manage to make a considerable repayment during this time, not only that you will decrease your overall loan balance, but you’ll save a lot on interest rate payments.
  • Fix your loan: If your credit conditions are permissive enough, we advise you to lock in the new low rate.

To conclude, comprehending the market conditions does pay off. When you sign a loan agreement, you should know what it implies, how the market is due to change and how it can affect you.

In spite of your current status, don’t hesitate to refresh your mindset, in the case in which the market alters in your favour. Why shouldn’t you take advantage of it? Nonetheless, bear in mind that you should discuss with your financial advisor before taking the leap.

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Refinance and Refinancing

Why Should You Consider Refinancing Your Home Loan?

People take a home loan refinancing into consideration when they’re no longer satisfied with their actual home loan or when they want to make some house renovations.

Refinancing becomes a choice when your lending needs have changed or when your home loan is starting to pose difficulties.

  1. Home Loan Refinancing has lower interests rates

This is the main reason why Australians take into consideration refinancing their mortgage. The easiest way to figure out if it’s worth the trouble to switch your home loan is to calculate if the costs of the refinancing will be paid off in the next two years.

Interest rates and fees can build up, so don’t just look at the lower interest rate that comes with refinancing. Take into consideration all the fees implied in the process.

  1. It’s more compatible with your renovation project

Home loan refinancing brings benefits to homeowners who desire to invest in structural renovations that aren’t compatible with personal loans.

Refinancing allows you to use the equity in your property as collateral. This is an option only if the value of the house outpasses the cost of renovations.

Some home loans don’t offer the option for a construction loan, so you may just have to go into refinancing in order to find one that fits your needs.

  1. Consolidating debts is a good option

Home loan interests rates are lower, and this is why many people add their personal loan or car loan to their mortgage. Dividing the payments over the course of the next 25 to 30 years will ensure much smaller monthly payments, but raise the interest rates.

You could benefit from this option of refinancing if discipline and regular payments are something that you’re used to. You could add a personal loan to your house loan, but instead of paying it off for 25-30 years, choose to pay it over the course of the next five years. This will allow you to sort your personal debt faster and even save almost 75% of the interest rate that you would have spent by prolonging the payments to suit your house loan.

  1. Refinancing offers flexibility

If you’ve come to the point where a fixed rate isn’t your best alternative, and you want and actually can pay out the loan faster, then home loan refinancing is an alternative. Being able to pay according to your income will get you out of debt faster, and it also comes with the split facility, a redraw facility, and an offset account.

  1. When mortgage payments are too big

Sometimes, our finances can’t support the mortgage payments and we’re forced to look for an alternative that requires a smaller amount per month. Even though the interest rates could go higher, there are times when our budget isn’t able to cover the payments, so refinancing is in order.

Home loan refinancing comes with advantages and disadvantages, so before taking the step, see if it will suit your needs!

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Refinance and Refinancing

Refinance for a Better Home Loan

It is estimated that 30-40% of home loan applications are people interested in refinancing their mortgage.

More than two-thirds of people who refinanced their home loans recently were able to secure a lower interest rate, a mortgage broker’s survey shows.

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Refinance and Refinancing

Benefits of Downsizing Your Home & Mortgage

The amount of people downsizing to smaller homes is adding even greater pressure to property prices as empty-nesters and households under financial stress compete with younger families and investors for homes in the popular middle-price ranges.

Job losses, family separations, the global financial crisis and lifestyle changes are some of the main reasons people are downsizing. However, increasing demand from these buyers is pushing prices up, wiping out much of the expected savings. Empty-nesters and retirees, in particular, are often now faced with little or no extra cash left over after they sell the family home and downsize.

Then why downsize?

Downsizing your home & mortgage is generally a good idea, but it only works if the new property gives both the kind of swap in lifestyle and finances a person is looking for.

Downsizing your home is most commonly associated with empty-nesters and retirees looking for smaller spaces after the children have grown and moved out. However downsizing has also become a popular move for a growing number of homeowners as it makes a lot of financial sense. Families are buying smaller homes to reduce their debt – by selling up and buying a smaller and less expensive property, they can reduce their mortgage and create a comfort zone.

Downsize to reduce mortgage repayments

The monthly mortgage payment is generally the largest single expense consumers face. It often accounts for 30% or more of an average gross income, which accounts for 50% of net income. Downsizing your home can have a dramatic effect on your mortgage repayments. At the very least, it can result in a significant reduction in your monthly expenditure, a significant increase in your cash flow and massive savings in interest over the term of your mortgage.

When you downsizing into a smaller home, you will naturally incur reduced expenses, such as a lower heating bill (as there obviously is less space to heat) – and this is just one of the savings opportunities that will become available to you. Consider this – if by downsizing your home you are able to save $600 per month, that turns in to $7,200 per year, which is a massive saving of $72,000 over the course of a decade. Think of what you could do with that money in ten years: take a well deserved overseas holiday, pay for your children’s weddings or tertiary education, or perhaps even invest it into another property.

To learn how the Australian Lending Centre can assist you to decrease your mortgage repayments simply fill in the enquiry form to your right or call now on 1300 138 188 to speak with a loan consultant today.